Gov. Gary Herbert announced Monday a new campaign to ensure those volunteer numbers continue to rise.

To celebrate the Corporation for National and Community Service announcement that Utah ranked first in the United States for volunteerism, Gov. Gary Herbert kicked off the 2016 Pledge10 campaign.

The campaign asks Utahns to serve 10 people, volunteer with co-workers 10 times or serve 10 hours at a charity organization in the upcoming year.

“Your long tradition of service makes Utah what it is,” Gov. Herbert said. “We are proud of our culture of caring for one another. Where government would otherwise have to step in or grow, Utah’s exceptional army of volunteers step up to fill the need.”

Utahns put in enough volunteer hours every to fill 93,000 full-time job positions, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service – that’s $4.5 billion in economic contributions.

The average Utahn donates 92 hours of service per year, which is twice the average of the No. 2 state in the nation.

“We’d like you to join us in celebrating Utah’s continued commitment to service by joining Pledge10 to volunteer beyond what you’re already doing in your community in 2016,” the Pledge 10 campaign site reads. “We want to make this our biggest and best year of service yet as we reach out to one another, do a little bit of good, and watch the world change.”

Here are some examples of ways you can Pledge10:

As a family, serve 10 neighbors by shoveling their driveway, making them a treat or fixing a fence

As a family, serve 10 aging adults by visiting a care facility or elderly neighbor

As a faith-based or community organization, gather 10 people to complete a service project together

As a faith-based or community organization, plant at least 10 trees together

As a school, adopt 10 organizations to benefit throughout the year

As a class, collect 10 pounds of clothing or food per month to donate to food banks and/or homeless shelters

As a company, commit 10 employees to volunteer for a particular organization or cause during the year

As a company, offer employees 10 hours per quarter to volunteer for an organization of their choice

As an individual, commit to volunteer for an organization at least 10 times throughout the year

As an individual, challenge 10 people to volunteer with you or host a competition to see who can be the first to volunteer 10 times in 2016

Volunteers are invited to share their service stories on social media, using the hashtag: #Pledge10Utah.

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About the Author

Kimberly Scott is a lifetime resident of Southern Utah. In 2013, Kimberly joined St. George News as a vital member of its editing, reporting and administrative team. She is passionate about engaging communities through writing and is dedicated to providing complete and accurate coverage of both anticipated and breaking news.